A dedicated man who lost his childhood sweetheart in tragic circumstances has kicked off a fundraising mission in her honour.

Matthew Spring, 22, lost the love of his life Laura Pearson, 21, in October when her car hit a tree in Claygate following a brain haemorrhage.

The horse-mad carer battled a connective tissue disorder her whole life and defied doctors to live past nursery age. She underwent countless operations, prompting Mr Spring to call her a true fighter.

Now, Mr Spring and her friends want to raise money to pay back the charities that helped her during her life and after her accident.

He is planning a mass fundraising event in the spring at Slough Farm, Claygate, where Miss Pearson kept her beloved horse Blossom, or at Chessington Equestrian Centre.

The plans are in early days, but he has been asking businesses to get onboard by donating raffle prizes, and wants bouncy castles, face painting, horse rides.

Mr Spring, who is from Epsom, also wants suggestions of activities he can do to raise money in Miss Pearson’s memory.

He said: “As long as it’s humanly possible and reasonably safe, I’ll do it.

“All I care about is raising money for Laura. I was with her for six years and they were the best years of my life.”

He wants to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, the Atkinson Morley wing at St George’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Surrey Air Ambulance.

Mr Spring said: “This is keeping me going at the moment. I couldn’t see a single positive at first, but people say there’s a positive in everything, and I’m starting to see that.”

Miss Pearson’s friend Jen Jackson, 34, is running the Portsmouth Coastal Waterside Marathon on Sunday, December 18.

She went for a run to clear her head on the evening she found out about Miss Pearson’s death, and the next day entered the marathon in her memory.

Sponsor her at justgiving.com/jen-jackson.